The first ship in a new, all-water service connecting the growing Southeast U.S. region with South Korea and Central and South China, called the Port of Charleston recently, the first in a weekly service calling North Charleston Terminal.

The South China East Coast Express 2 (SCE2) service is jointly operated by the Grand Alliance carriers of Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and NYK Line, along with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services and Hyundai Merchant Marine.

The first ship was the NYK Rigel. International ports of call on the service are Busan, South Korea; Shanghai, Xiamen, Da Chan Bay, Hong Kong and Yantian, China; Manzanillo, Panama; and Kingston, Jamaica.

Exports from South Carolina to North Asia continue to demonstrate strong growth. The Southeast U.S. is an expanding consumer base for import goods and continues to grow in population. Over the past 10 years, population growth in the South outpaced any other U.S. region at 14.3 percent, according to 2010 Census figures.

The SCE2 adds 52 ship calls a year, boosting economic impacts and jobs across the local maritime community and expanding business opportunities for the hundreds of South Carolina companies that rely on international trade.